The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1887-11-25
David sPIet Oua The Land
Around Jennings, LRs
pRW1rr. IowA, o.. 81, Iss7

AS have been TO see that great Jennings
in southwest Louisiana, to please
my many frlends will write you little OF
what saw and heard
spent five days in looking over that eoun-
try and asking questions, and lost no time
while there. like the looks Of the country
very we'll. OF course 1t ID quite new, and q
person must not expect to see as much Inn
proYement as We have here, but that Is no
Fault Of the country, for there is more and
better material to improve with than there Is
here There Is better lumber 10 that country
selling for 50 to S7 per thousand than the
average Iowa man ever saw and fence posts
big enough for wire, made OF cypress, sell
for 90 per 100. Therefore, man need not
be without buildings and fences. Galyan-
ICED wire costs Q cents per pound In Jen-
nigs:
gion are well pleased with the country and
eontented They are mostly Iowa people,
all look healthy and robust. l did not see
anybody who wanted TO sell out unless they
could get large price, One man who went
down on the train did, paid 81 ,OOO for re-
Of 160-aere homestead. But
land without improvements can be bought
for $5 per acre. and think that II a man
buys land from to 5 miles from the railroad
and fences It he can pay for the land with
one crop Of hay, There are great herds of
cattle and ponies on the prairie which Will
destroy great portion of the grass II II is
not fenced but the greater part Of the hay
Is made aud stacked onthe open prairie now,
but to make the hay crop a sure success,
the meadow should be under fence,
Hay is netting IS per ton, clear Of all ey-
penses at Jennings; and ] saw grass that /
am sure would make one and half tons to
the acre on the open prairie.
am asked what they raise down here, l
will say they raise horses, cattle, sheep, hogs,
poultry, corn, oats, sweet and Irish pota-
toes, rice, cotton, sugar cane, watermelons,
squashes and all kinds OF fruit
and vegetables.
! ate dinner on Saturday, October Is, with
a family by the name Of Scott, formerly Of
Delaware county, Iowa, that live ID miles
north from Jennings. The lady told me the
family picked z bushels of blaekbeFries In
the timber, and could have picked that many
wagon loads. The berries are ripe the latter
part OF April and first Of May.
Mr. Scott showed me the thermometer
which hung in shed adjoining tho house,
which indicated "a degrees at noon that day:
He said II had hung IN the same place all
and had never got above so at any
lime, but had stood at 80 to So for quite a
long time,
A Mr. Hurlbert, another Iowa man, told
me he raised 300 barrels OF rice on 20 acres
the first crop on the groupd--which he sold
for 90 so per barrel. This year he had 90
barrels on II acres, which is worth Us 70 per
barrel, Owing to the dry season he did not
have water enough. A barrel equals three
bushels. He said it did not cost any more to
raise rice there than oats In Iowa, They
plow the ground and put in the rice as we
do oats when the rice gets up about
inches they food IL; when II begins to turn
yellow they let the water off, and the ground
dries cut II with binders, stack and thresh
as we do oats,
Mr.. Dunham, also from Iowa, informed me
that sheep raising is paying business. de
gave me little Of his knowledge In regard
TO it. He said he bought 25 ewes last spring
for SO each he sold the wool from them for
BIZ ; they raised 25 lambs, from which he
sold So worth Of wool this fall and could sell
she whole lot for 50 per head now. He says
the natives shear their sheep twich year
and never feed them bitG--let them get
their own living the year round, Mr.. Dun
ham lives II miles north from Jennings.
/ think there Is not smoother prairie TO
be found, In driving over It you will feel
20 more jar than on the smoothest roads In
this country.
The cattle in general looked we'll, taking
into consideration that they live on grass the
year round, mover get a bite OF any other
Iced. They make as good beef as ever ate.
think there Is as much nutrlment In that
grass as In our wild grass.
As to corn, was too late 10 see any In the
fields but saw plenty of stalks and husked
corn. brought home samples OF corn and
several other things, The corn stalks grow
big, but don't be1ieYe the ears grow in pro-
portion to the stalks. Some CLAIM that corn
VIII make good crop, but ! think ~ TO W
bushels per acre would be q fair yield for
hat country,
Irish potatoes grow two crops year. |
brought some home that were, planted ~
hEIt thtnlr than NunnIH hp n
crop to tie to- Sweet potatoes grow as pro-
iic as the grass Watermelons, VIII grow
the seed ID dropped ! saw few
bats OF the Texas red variety. The people
claim that to make success, they must be
soWn In October and pastured all winter,
AS TO fruit, think there ls no discount on
Z being all It is said TO be, saw one fig tree
hat grew ten teet this year and was tnll OF
iruit, This h only part OF HUNDRED things
| could tell In favor Of the fruit Of that re-
gion. Vegetables are grand success.
The soil, II Is claimed, gets better ana
better, the longer 1t is worked. know IL
looks better, but whether It really is so Of
not, is more than am able to say. The SOIL
= Of Light color. They claim that y works
y, one yoke Of cattle o. three ponies running
i breaking ploW. noticed that land which
lad been cultivated any length Of time was
Is loose as an ash heap and darker In color
han land just broken.
The water Is good TO the taste, where the
wells have been dug long enough to get the
.aste Of the cypress out OF the water, tor
hey all use cypress curhlng The water ls
warmer than III Iowa. II ID easily secured at
/ depth OF 10 TO 80 feet. II is not as agree
able TO drink as the water here, but is better
% quench the thlrst--and, like q man hang
pg, 1t Is all right when you get used to II,
The country is comparatively nat put
blink y is rolling enough TO drain well
lid not see any land that could not be plow-
ID on the prairie, except one slough which is
,alled the Grand Marie. II is bridged and
not bad TO cross with team.
met such mon as W, ii. Gooden0ugh, pi
iowrIe, Iowa, nephew Of j, II. Price Of De-
Witt, He took q homestead and timber
,laim, and bought 100 acres, II miles from
Welsh. He was IN Lake Charles when left,
getting lumber to build house, He Intends
10 move on his land In January. He is well
pleased With the country,
also met !, VI Mills, q Dallas county,
Iowa. He Is located miles from Welsh,
ind likes that region. In fact, that ls the
general verdict Of every one you meet that
las been III The country long enough % ind
out what is there.
Some have asked what kind Of people are
It Jennings, II they would 20 there and at-
Lepd Sunday school and church, as ! did,
they would see as nice looking, weil-dressed
and well behaved a congregation as they
ever saw, and as fine music, both vocal and
as Will be heard IN the average
Iowa churches. The building win hold 200
persons, and 10 was pretty well fllled the
evening was there.
But i must close, If anybody wishes 10
see the samples ] brought home, they can do
so by calling at my house,
want It undeFstood that no self interest
prompts me 10 write this, for have no ilnan-
clal interests In Louisiana. But went to sec
that country and merely write this for tht
instruction of others, as stated at the outset
What say IN this letter ] can proge. Bu
70 and see for yourselves and stay iQnl
enough 70 sec and know what Is there, Bu
the country docs not need any boom, a.
tie clerk AZ the land DiiicO In Now Orleap
said, IL seems as II the whole world was 81
ing there for land.
That is All for this time.
Respectfully Eoplss
T, ". RAflDf
~ ia .